Environmental Enlightenment #089
September 28, 2004

Here's the latest edition of Environmental Enlightenment - a SHORT, LIGHT and SIMPLE environmental newsletter. Its purpose is to inform and educate.

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http://www.amiadini.com/newsletters/environmental-enlightenment-089.html

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"False Medicine" Leads to Record Levels of Asbestos-Related Claims

The text material in this letter contains excerpts from the August 2004 Environmental / Toxic Tort Update by Gordon & Rees LLP. Click here to view the complete publication.

The images below are copied from free sources on the Net. They depict Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs)

Pipe Insulation

Pipe Insulation

For additional images of ACMs (highly recommended) go to:

• http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/acmimages.html
• http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/acmimages4.html
• http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/acmimages2.html
• http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/acmimages5.html

In a recent study published in Academic Radiology, an independent panel of doctors reviewed 492 chest X-rays introduced as evidence by plaintiff's attorneys in asbestos litigation. The panel found that fewer than five percent of the X-rays revealed any possible asbestos-related lung damage.

It is this form of medical fraud that has substantiated the roughly 730,000 asbestos-related claims in the past four decades, including 200,000 that are currently pending in state and federal courts.

The RAND Institute for Civil Justice (“RAND”) estimates that the total cost of asbestos litigation to American businesses was nearly $70 billion in 2002. An additional 500,000 to 2.4 million asbestos related claims will be filed in the near future.

The deception is based on the fact that asbestos is classified as a known human carcinogen by California, federal, and international agencies.

It is generally accepted that exposure to low levels of asbestos for short periods of time poses minimal health risks. However, prolonged exposure to asbestos may lead to the following diseases that are often related to asbestos exposure:

1. Asbestosis: Asbestosis is a non-cancerous lung disease related to diffuse fibrous scarring of the lungs. The lungs become stiff and it becomes difficult for them to take in air or to transfer oxygen to the blood. This can lead to frequent lung infections and heart or respiratory failure. The disease is prevalent among individuals who have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace – such as asbestos workers who routinely handled asbestos-containing materials.
   
2. Lung Cancer: Lung cancer is a relatively common form of cancer that has been linked to smoking and a variety of occupational exposures. Cigarette smoking significantly increases the risk of lung cancer for those people exposed to asbestos.
   
3. Mesothelioma: Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the thin membranes lining the lungs, chest, and abdominal cavity. Almost all cases are linked to prior occupational asbestos exposure.

Call me if you've got any questions. There are no obligations.


Ami Adini
Ami Adini & Associates, Inc.
Environmental Consultants
Underground Storage Tank Experts
323-913-4073; 323-667-2336 fax
mail@amiadini.com
www.amiadini.com


Ami Adini is a mechanical engineer, California Registered Environmental Assessor, Level II, and president of AMI ADINI & ASSOCIATES, INC. (AA&A), an environmental consulting firm specializing in all phases of environmental site assessments, rehabilitation of contaminated sites and upgrading of underground storage tank facilities. AA&A supplies practical solutions to environmental concerns using the highest standards of ethics and integrity while providing its clients with maximum return on their investments.

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